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South Korea, United States conduct joint air drills with B-1B bomber

Published: 15 Apr. 2025, 15:41 Updated: 15 Apr. 2025, 20:35

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

South Korea and the United States conduct joint air drills in a show of force against North Korean military threats on Feb. 20. [MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE]

South Korea and the United States held combined air drills involving at least one B-1B bomber on Tuesday, Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said the same day.

The drills Tuesday aimed to increase the regular visibility of U.S. extended deterrence, and involved South Korean Air Force F-35A stealth fighters, F-16 fighters and U.S. F-16 fighters.

“These drills are aimed to demonstrate the integrated extended deterrence capability of South Korea and the United States in response to the continuous threat of North Korea's increasingly sophisticated nuclear and missile programs, and to strengthen the interoperability of the South Korea-U.S. combined forces,” said the Defense Ministry.

“South Korea and the United States will continue to expand joint training based on close cooperation to deter and respond to North Korea's threats, thereby strengthening cooperation in the South Korea-U.S. alliance.”

The ministry did not specify the exact location of the drills or the number of B-1B bombers deployed.

The B-1B bomber can fly to 12,000 kilometers (7,456 miles) at a maximum speed of Mach 1.25, and can fly from the U.S. military base in Guam to the Korean Peninsula in two hours.

The B-1B does not have nuclear capability, but it can be equipped with up to 57 tons of weaponry, a far greater capacity than those of other U.S. strategic bombers, such as the B-2 or B-52.

The B-1B was deployed over the Korean Peninsula on in a similar air drill on Feb. 20.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]